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News at The Hunger Site: News and information at The Hunger Site

World Food Programme experiencing budget problems

Jan 19, 2011

The U.N.-sponsored World Food Programme is experiencing budget difficulties due in part to rising food prices worldwide. The initiative is currently $3 billion short of its yearly budget, which amounts to nearly half of what the agency needs to function effectively, according to the Associated Press.

The U.N. agency put in place to fight world hunger primarily subsists on contributions from governments, corporations and individuals. According to the most recent estimates, more than one billion people throughout the world survive on just one meal a day.

"If food prices escalate again, the most vulnerable in the world will lose the one meal a day they are having. If food prices double, that means one meal every two days," Josette Sheeran, a World Food Programme worker, told the news outlet.

In urban areas such as the West Bank, the program has started an electronic voucher initiative, which is a debit card that people can use to buy necessary food, rather than having to wait for designated time at a distribution center. The aim is to boost the local economy and cut down on travel costs while supporting people in need.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, one in twelve people worldwide are malnourished.

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